Year-end Reflections on Disability Advocacy

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey, welcome everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and continuing to have a wonderful holiday, being that this is holiday week. I'm sure you all had a great time with your friends and family, and I hope you all have been safe and well. And to everyone around the world, thank you so much. The same wishes to you. I love you all. Um, here we are next year, the 20th anniversary of this radio show. Can you believe it? 20 years starting in January. And you know Who helped make that possible? You, all of my listeners in the United States and around the world. You made it possible. And I so appreciate from Australia to China to— let me look here— Mongolia, UK, all 17 countries that have listeners. And now we're getting new countries with listeners. Thank you so much. I always say, you know, if it's one person in Saudi Arabia, that one person can make a difference. You can remember when you tell people about this show, remember they can hear it on demand. Just go to voiceamerica.com or Spotify or benderconsult.com and you can hear this radio show, which has become the number one show. And once again, I thank all of you for that. So this group, this trio, these dynamos we have on today— last year this became the most listened to show. I mean, like, through January, February, March, it was incredible ratings for that show. And that's because we had Holly O'Donnell, the President and CEO of Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Perry Jude Radisic, CEO of Disability Rights Pennsylvania, and don't forget, every show for 5 years now, the anchor on the half hour with our news break is Perry Jude Radisic, so you will definitely recognize that voice, and Maria Town, the president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. And guess what? I'm proud to say I am on every one of those boards. So that shows you how much I love these companies. I'm so honored to be with these organizations that I'm— that I serve on. But I want to tell you, I know these three. They are so dynamic. So dedicated, they're authentic. That's the word I'd use, they're authentic. I just, just can't tell you how excited I am. They're a blessing to me in my life, but especially to all of you. They're fighting the fight for all of you. And Yoshiko, Yoshiko Dart, you know I would never forget you on any radio show. You know how much I love you, Yoshiko. I always say, I know Yoshiko is in her apartment right now saying, "Hello, Joyce, lead on." I know you are, and I know you're smiling. Yoshiko, we love you. In countries around the world, I have to tell you, Richard Roberts, who will be coming to visit me at my headquarters at Bender Consulting Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Richard is wonderful. He is wonderful. And he is a disability rights leader in Brazil. But he is around the world because when I met Richard, it was in South Korea. Then we went together to Japan. And now I will be seeing him in Brazil next year. And we are having a radio show live from Brazil in January or February. So stay tuned for that. And Gang Yang Cho in South Korea. Venyamin in Kazakhstan, Cheryl Harris at the U.S. State Department, to everyone, I wish you all a wonderful holiday. I know in Kazakhstan a really huge holiday is coming up, New Year's. I know that's a one-week celebration from Venyamin. So, you know, I'm going to be wishing you a happy New Year. But whether it's Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa. I just wish and wish you all the best to everyone. So here we are, soon going on 20 years with our sponsor Highmark, all these years our lead sponsor, and I love Highmark so much. But here we are with our three great guests, Maria, Holly, and Perry Jude. Welcome to the show. I'm so thrilled to have you back.

Thanks for having me, Joyce.

Well, Maria, we are going to start with you because I know there's been so much happening at AAPD in 2022. Just a little bit of trivia: Maria was only at AAPD for, I think it was a week, when she was on my radio show. Am I right, Maria? It was something like that.

That's right, Joyce. Yep, my, my very first week I did the Joyce Bender Show, so I feel like your audience has been with me my entire time at AAPD.

Yeah, that's right, you all have. Do you realize that you have been with Maria since she started? Because it was that first week I said, okay, come on, we're going to do this show. And of course, she's so wonderful, Maria. She was more than happy to do it and is engaging as always. Uh, and Maria, wow, I mean, what a year at AAPD. Every time I'm on a board call, uh, I mean, I just can never believe all the things. It's like one thing after the next happening. It's just so exciting with Maria as the CEO and lead over AAPD. So Maria, give us some highlights. What are some of the most notable great things that happened at AAPD this past year?

Well, Joyce, that's such a big question, um, because this— there's, there's so many things that happen, and a lot of the work that AAPD does is in coalition with other organizations like the Bazelon Center and Disability Rights Pennsylvania. So, you know, before I launch into this answer, I want to acknowledge that It's quite possible that a lot of what I highlight might also be a highlight for Holly or Perijude, because really we are stronger together and all in this fight together. But I realized today that it was the beginning of 2022 when the Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky Joyce Bender made these comments that were absolutely atrocious. She was trying to highlight good news that the number of COVID deaths had decreased and pointed out that the deaths that were occurring were primarily with people with disabilities. And she said, but that's okay, they were already sick anyway, or something like that. Just this comment. Do you remember this?

Yes. I forgot about it until you brought it up. Yes.

Yeah.

And we said, you know, that these comments were wrong. They were inappropriate and they devalued the lives of people with disabilities. And we stood up for ourselves. You know, we shot back. We got a lot of media coverage. We wound up meeting with the CDC director, met with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Javier Becerra, and we really demanded that the CDC prioritize the experiences and needs of people with disabilities in their COVID response. And I'll be honest with you, there has not been as much progress as I would have liked, but COVID continues to really shape the lives of disabled people around the world. And so I couldn't start this conversation without acknowledging that. So as a result of that advocacy, we saw that the National Institutes of Health created accessible COVID home tests that were accessible to people who are blind and low vision. We saw that the CDC created a whole disability and accessibility communications team inside their agency. We also got the White House and Health and Human Services to issue more standards around clean air systems and ventilation requirements to prevent COVID. And finally, HHS issued— Health and Human Services issued guidance on COVID in congregate settings beyond nursing homes. So, to include group homes, prisons, and jails, which has been a persistent gap in all of the COVID response work. So that's something that started as a negative, I think in many ways became a positive, but we still have a lot to do. One more thing that was hugely significant for AAPD is that we saw the Supreme Court in the United States overturn Roe v. Wade, which gave people a right to abortion. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, and the Supreme Court overturned that decision. And so we saw in the United States that people's rights to bodily autonomy were threatened. And for the first time in our 26-year history, AAPD was— took a position on abortion and noted that bodily autonomy has always been a core component of the disability rights movement, and any threat to bodily autonomy will not be tolerated, and that restrictions on abortion will further harm disabled people. Um, people with disabilities are more likely to need reproductive healthcare like abortions when we become pregnant because oftentimes the pregnancy might endanger our lives. We also are more likely to use things like in vitro fertilization, IVF, to start our families. And that, that science can also involve abortive procedures. So we've seen a lot of advocacy around that, and we've had some major wins. The final piece that I want to highlight, Joyce, or two pieces that I want to highlight, is It was a huge year for AAPD's programs, including our voting program called Rev Up. This year, our Rev Up networks across the country engaged 300,000 voters. We, uh, we've provided $200,000 across the United States in microgrants. So across the country, people were hosting disability candidate forums, voter registration events, and more. For the recent runoffs in Georgia, our support facilitated 450 rides to the polls for rural disabled Georgian voters, and I'm really proud of that.

Wow.

Finally—

That's awesome.

—this year—

I'm so proud that this year was the 20th anniversary of our internship program, which I know you love, Joyce, and we conducted an evaluation. And as all of your listeners, listeners know, disability employment is a huge issue worldwide. You know, we do not see enough disabled people getting competitive integrated employment jobs for living wages. And in our evaluation of our internship program, we found that AAPD interns have amazing employment rates and they're paid on average $37 an hour. And that just goes to show you that programs like ours work, and I hope we can use this evaluation to encourage the development of more of these programs, not only in the United States, but around the world.

Thank you, Maria. I want to say I do love that program. I mean, I do. I love that AAPD internship program. And years ago, when I was the chair, and I would speak to the interns, I'd go to a meeting and speak to them, and still to this day, There are people that have kept in touch with me that were AAPD interns. But as Maria said, you know, it's so exciting and it is transformative. I mean, it changes these students. It really does. First of all, it seems like everyone that comes suddenly wants to live in DC and they want to be advocates or work on the Hill or, you know, whatever. But they get so fired up, and it is the best program. Again, AAPD.com, it's called— it is— is it just listed as the internship program? How is it listed on the website?

Maria, if you go to AAPD.com and click programs, you'll see a link to the summer internship program.

Okay, thank you, Maria. Thank you for all that. Um, and Holly, O'Donnell, it is always nice to have you on. I have to tell you about Holly. She is really a special person. Uh, you all know, my listeners know, because I've talked about how terrible it was for me when I lost Mary. Mary Brocker, uh, closest to me, traveled with me, with me 22 years, the president at Bender. And you know, Holly would send me these little cards. Now, I mean, months after Mary had passed away, she would send me these little cards with little, uh, you know, like inspirational notes. Uh, when you're sad, you know, read this, or when you need hope, read that. And, you know, I'll never forget that. I will never forget that. You are that example Maya Angelou talked about, Holly, about you'll remember how people made you feel. But I think that says a lot about you. So, I hope you don't mind, but I just want people to know what you're like. But Holly, welcome to the show.

Oh, thanks so much, Joyce. Yes, I have had my own experiences with grief, um, as Joyce knows, losing both of my parents when they were young. And so, I do my best, um, to support people in the ways that I felt really supported over the past decades. So thanks so much for having me again, and I'm happy to be with my colleagues, Maria and Perry Jude. And just a plug for the internship program at AAPD, the Bazelon Center also loves that program. We have a former fellow on staff, Jaylen Razminski, and we also every summer have an AAPD intern. And love the program. So, in terms of what has been notable at the Bazelon Center this year, most importantly, the Bazelon Center is 50 years old, and you know that, Joyce, because we've been talking about it at the board meetings. Yes, exciting. And this is important for nonprofits. Particularly ones that are small and that do cutting-edge work and started out at a time when the Bazelon Center was really focused on getting people with mental disabilities out of institutions. And we were a, from the very beginning, doing litigation. And as we've seen over the decades, litigation continues to be a very, very important tool, and so is our policy advocacy, and that we're doing primarily at the federal level. And as Maria was talking, you know, about COVID and the impact that it has, I think it's important to know that many of the same types of challenges exist in communities that we're not seeing. And so the Bazelon Center has been very focused on improving the lives of people with mental disabilities by making sure that children are in classrooms just like everybody else, that people have jobs just like everybody else, and people are living in their own homes and in communities. And so we were pleased to, to learn a couple hours, I think Maria knew before me, that President Biden was announcing a mental health agenda in his first State of the Union last March. And so that was very notable. And since then, we have been working with the administration and folks on the Hill to make sure that mental health continues to be something that people, you know, are learning about and that there are the supports and services that people need. Also very notable is that our former colleague and friend Jennifer Mathis went to the Department of Justice and is from the Bazelon Center, and she's been on your show many times. And she is a Deputy Assistant Attorney General over in the Civil Rights Division overseeing disability rights and some other things. So that's been really important for people in the United States to have somebody with Jennifer's expertise at that level of government. And we're really proud of, in this 50th year, you know, we are, we want to expand the work that we do and be able to take on more cases and do more policy advocacy, but we also want to make sure that we are working hard to address new areas of work, and one of those is immigration. And so we have— we are partnering with immigrant rights groups, and we are starting to develop an immigration portfolio, and recently received a grant from the Ford Foundation to do this work. So, we're really excited about being able to lend our expertise in, you know, disability rights to the immigrant rights work and hopefully get more and more children out of, you know, any type of segregated facilities that they are in and into living with families and communities. And I'll stop there. Awesome.

Even the 50th anniversary was so awesome. And Jennifer Mathis is brilliant. You know, I'm so proud to have her there. And you know, forever when I would think Bazelon, I'd think Jennifer. I mean, it's just like they went together. So that really says a lot about Bazelon also. So Holly is doing a phenomenal job and really has taken them forward growing and working in so many different areas. She is just a great leader. And Perry Jude, I feel as if I'm ready to say, and now on the half hour, here's my newscaster, Perry Jude. So Perry Jude Radesik is the CEO of Disability Rights Pennsylvania. Um, I guess no introduction is necessary to my listeners. You all know how much I love her. Uh, but Perry, welcome. Let, let's hear from you, uh, about what happened notable this year at Disability Rights of Pennsylvania.

Well, Joyce, thanks for having me on the show with such wonderful colleagues, Holly and Maria. It's terrific. And we hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year that's coming up. So just like Holly celebrating her 50th year, at Disability Rights Pennsylvania, we're celebrating our 45th anniversary as the designated protection and advocacy agency in Pennsylvania Joyce, I know your listeners know that there's one of us in every state and territory across the country, and it's really terrific to be able to do this work on a local level. And we have on our website 45 stories to celebrate our 45 years of our systemic impact in Pennsylvania. And listeners can go to disabilityrightspa.org and click on our link celebrating our 45 years. And Joyce, we're just as busy as ever. We get over Just in the first 6 months of, of last year, we got 15,000 emails and 7,000 phone calls for people seeking our free legal and advocacy services. So, we're as busy as ever. Now, Maria talked about collaboration earlier. Absolutely. There's so much of that that happens with national organizations. And thanks to the technical assistance from AAPD and the leadership, Joyce, of your own Bender Consulting staff, Gerald and Scott. We now have a Rev Up Voting Coalition in Pennsylvania, and Disability Rights Pennsylvania is now part of that amazing coalition of organizations and advocates working on removing barriers to voting for people with disabilities and registering people to vote, educating people to vote. And it's just terrific, and we're so grateful Joyce Bender, to you, Gerald and Scott, for starting REV UP here in Pennsylvania.

Oh, so excited about that.

And then the National Disability Rights Network hired Marlena Sayo to replace Curt Decker. And Curt had been our founding executive director, national director, and now Marlena is our new national director. She has tremendous national experience and statewide experience and is the first person with a disability and the first Latino to lead our national network. And that's been a terrific change for our protection and advocacy network across the country, Joyce.

Yeah, that's wonderful. And Maria called me like it had barely been like maybe announced 2 seconds because Maria knows everything. And Maria called me so excited about that. Am I right, Maria? So excited about Marlena?

That's correct, yes. She's so fabulous, and I'm so excited for her leadership at the National Disability Rights Network. And also, uh, Perry Jude and Joyce Bender, we have loved, um, really kicking off REV UP Pennsylvania, and y'all are doing such incredible work.

Oh, well, we love it. We do. It should have been done sooner, and it is so important. Register, educate, vote. It's so important. And again, AAP.com, uh, if you want to know more about Rev Up. I have my pins I wear. I have all this Rev Up swag, uh, in my office because I just think it is so Absolutely important. Everyone needs to know about it. So Maria, you mentioned, you know, about Roe v. Wade and how terrible it was when that was overturned. And by the way, remember, Perry, I was on a call with Disability Rights PA when I found that out.

Remember? Oh, absolutely, Joyce.

I was on a call with them and Paula, my, Paula Balog, my CTO, ran into me, ran in the office and showed me this. And I said, oh no. And when I told this group from Pennsylvania Disability Rights Pennsylvania, I am not kidding you, they cried. And then we just You know, Perry just said, "We're ending the meeting." That's the impact, that's the impact that it had. I still, I will never forget that, Perry. I know exactly what I was doing at that time when that happened. But Maria, what, in your opinion, what would you say are some of the biggest issues that the disability community faced in 2022?

Uh, well, I think I, I mentioned some of these in my first answer, Joyce. You know, I mentioned COVID. Um, I think the overturning of Roe v. Wade is definitely a big one. Um, but like all Americans, people with disabilities have been hit hard by inflation. Um, we have seen inflation on the rise, and we know that people with disabilities already have higher day-to-day costs of living. We call it the Crip Tax. If you are someone who has a spinal cord injury, you've got costs related to your padding and catheters, hearing aids. We saw this year finally regulations that allow for over-the-counter hearing aids, but before that existed, hearing aids cost people thousands of dollars and were not covered by insurance. And so inflation has been a huge issue because the limited incomes that most people with disabilities have are not stretching as far. And it's adding to really deep systemic issues like housing insecurity and food insecurity that way too many people with disabilities experience.

Oh, that's horrible.

Yeah, you don't think of all those things, but it's, it's, uh, it's a tragedy to people with disabilities in that situation. Uh, and Holly, I already thought immediately of a horrible thing happening in the mental health community So I'm going to let you talk about this situation in New York City with the mayor.

Yeah. So, I mean, I think, you know, broadly the national conversation about mental health is getting louder. It's bringing in more people. It is changing. And the announcement last week by the mayor of New York City is— it's not new, but it was a surprise for many of us. And we have a lot of, you know, Harvey Rosenthal that is on the Bazelon board and runs NYAPRS in New York. You know, he's been fighting this for a long, long time. And when you make an announcement about picking people up and taking them to hospitals, who are experiencing homelessness and are, are quote-unquote shadowboxing was an example, but aren't, you know, a danger to themselves or to others. It is just horrific and we oppose it. And we also know It's not gonna work until you start talking about, you know, getting people housing, getting people services that they need, getting people jobs, that this is not something that is actually gonna be, something that is gonna— it's not a solution. Additionally, many of the people who they are talking about, this population of folks experiencing homelessness, have likely been hospitalized before. So we were really— and, you know, the sort of what we're hearing, you know, it was an announcement where You know, it has like the police department, like lots of other departments, it was not coordinated in a way that there's a solid plan behind it. So yeah, it was quite a week last week at the Bassett Law Center with that announcement. And we also filed a lawsuit against Yale University, and we're a small shop, and the press was coming like crazy. So we were all working pretty hard. But, you know, as we lead a national effort to push back and oppose the mayor of New York City, we are hopeful that we won't see people, you know, committed involuntarily to hospitals.

I mean, do you know that is so terrible? I mean, when I first heard that, That, you know, they could go to anyone. Okay, epilepsy. When you have a complex partial seizure, you can be walking around as if you look like you're in a drunken stupor. You can be hitting, you know, against the wall. I mean, there's so many things you could be doing, and here you are involuntarily taken to the hospital. And my question is, Holly, then what happens? I mean, where do you end up going? What happens?

Well, the hospital can decide if they are going to hold you or not, um, and then— but most people are released, um, and, you know, Perry and Maria can add on to this, but, um, but again, it's released to what? To a mental health system that's already failed them after being, you know, experiencing— I mean, the trauma of being taken, you know, to a hospital not by your own volition. I mean, that— so you're already in a period of trauma. It's just— it's hard to find the words. Because it's just, you know, it's really upsetting that this is seen as a solution.

Oh, there's a whole tsunami that can happen after this. Losing your job, being labeled, you know, people thinking that, oh, look at so-and-so, yeah, they had to, you know, take them to the hospital. I mean, so many things can come from this that's terrible. As you said, including post-traumatic stress disorder. I mean, it is just, to me, it is reprehensible. I mean, Perry, Jude, what do you think about it?

Well, Joyce Bender is absolutely right. I mean, and it's part of the problem that we have in Pennsylvania is one of the biggest issues is institutionalization. And so, so it's discharge into the community. There just aren't community services, enough of them, for people with mental illness. And so what New York is doing is awful. I hope it doesn't spread to other communities. I know we're— Pennsylvania's right next to New York. I hope it doesn't happen here. But at least we know we could rely on Bazelon for some technical assistance. Around this to help us defeat this here in Pennsylvania. But I will say fully funding mental health and ending institutionalization for those of us in states that still have it is a priority.

And do you believe then some way that could get directed to where the person is institutionalized? Is that what you're meaning, Perry?

I am definitely worried about it, absolutely worried about it. You know, someone could go from, you know, being not institutionalized to then having to worry about institutionalization and then getting into a system where you might not be able to be discharged because there just aren't community options available to you.

Oh my God, that is so terrible. Uh, Maria, did you want to make any comments about this?

Joyce Bender, I think Holly and Terry Jude are exactly right. You know, for me, the bottom line up front is that this is not about supporting people with psychiatric disabilities, and this is not about ending homelessness. What this is, is making people with disabilities less visible. And for me, it's a callback to something called ugly laws. Ugly laws were laws that existed in the United States from the late 1800s into the 1970s, and these laws prohibited disabled people from being out in public. You could be arrested for, you know, being disabled and unsightly and offending the eyes. This new policy from Mayor Adams is more focused on reducing the visibility of homelessness than it is about actually supporting people who are unhoused. As Holly and Perijude have already said, like, we know this does not work. It has been tried over and over again And we actually know what does work. And I wish that, you know, Mayor Adams would reach out to the Bazelon Center and say, "What should we be doing instead?" Because I think there could be an opportunity for real leadership here. And I'm worried that it isn't going to happen. And instead, we will see a never-ending cycle of incarceration of disabled people who are, who are being incarcerated simply for existing.

You know what, Maria, I read that book, The Ugly Laws, and, you know, about the unsightly, removing the unsightly from streets, and showing one young boy that had a prosthetic that was selling newspapers that was taken off and put in jail for, for a month or two. So hard to believe, but it's so horrible. And, and, you know, I never thought about that, Maria, about this, about that connection. I never thought about that. And it's sad to even say that. It is. Maria, I want to talk about something good, the philanthropic community and funding for people like Mackenzie Scott, the disability community. This wasn't happening before. So, isn't that like really great that the disability community is being included, Maria?

Yes, Joyce, we are. So, AAPD just received a $3 million grant from Mackenzie Scott, and many other disability organizations received similar grants. Access Living, I think you've probably had Marco Bristow on your show and, uh, who founded Access Living, and Karen Tamley. They received $8 million, which is incredible. Um, National Organization on Disability also received a grant, and it's a real recognition from mainstream philanthropy about the importance of disability advocacy and disability organizations. Um, and Holly mentioned a grant that the Bazelon Center received from the Ford Foundation recently, and I think part of why we are seeing this moment is because of the leadership from, you know, people like Darren Walker, who basically said that philanthropy has to prioritize disability. And now many mainstream, very highly regarded philanthropies like the Ford Foundation, like the MacArthur Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, are giving to disability organizations in a new way, and it's an opportunity for our movements to finally have the resources that we need, and I'm so excited for what's to come.

Yeah, so am I. It's so exciting. What do you think about that, Holly?

I am really excited every single time I hear about a Mackenzie Scott award, I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled for the organization because, I mean, at first when she was giving to historically Black colleges and universities, as someone that's been in the nonprofit sector for a long time, for people to be— for organizations to receive large unrestricted grants as a surprise is something that when you are in in a retreat and you're doing those blue sky type vision, this is something that we've talked about. And to see it happening across the country to youth organizations, disability rights, I mean, the colleges and universities, Girl Scouts, I mean, it's just awesome. And I think that it is I think it's brave of her, and I think, you know, it is one— you know, I don't use this word often, but it is, quote unquote, disrupting philanthropy. And I am excited about it, and particularly excited for the resources that are coming into our partner organizations.

Yeah, I agree with you. Boy, what a great person she is. I mean, that is so great. Uh, and Marie, I think you were talking about this earlier, about how even with like a $25,000 grant, you have to like— not-for-profits have to show, jump through hoops, do everything in the world, uh, in order to get that. That's why it's so amazing that she's doing this.

Yes, Joyce Bender. I think, you know, for a long time nonprofits had to, like you said, jump through all kinds of hoops and really navigate a huge bureaucracy to get any kind of funding, whether it be from corporate donors, private philanthropic donors, or state and federal grant givers. And, you know, when nonprofits have to spend half their time, like, just jumping through hoops to apply for grants, and then jumping through hoops again to report on the grants, that detracts from our ability to do the impactful work that we're being funded to do in the first place. And so, I'm sure Holly and Peri Dood can speak to this as well, but one of the things that AAPD has really benefited from, particularly over the past 2 years, has been funders who recognize the bureaucratic burdens that are often placed on grantees, and they've reduced those burdens, and they have also applied less restrictions to their gifts to allow us to determine where to put those dollars to the best use. So we're not having to come up with, like, a new program or change our programs in order to fit the particular desires of a funder. We are able to say, "Here are the needs we've identified," and receive grants that help us meet those needs. I don't know if Peri Jeet or Holly want to speak to that as well. Peri?

Yes, so I think it's terrific what the Ford Foundation and Mackenzie Scott have done. I think it's a wonderful moment in time for our disability movement, and it helps us at the state and local level when money is infused that is unrestricted into our national organizations, and we all benefit from leadership, from AAPD leadership, from Bazelon leadership, and the change that it can bring. And so I'm just so hopeful for the year ahead as a result of this infusion of money.

And Holly, something that I tell everyone is when you're thinking about Bazelon, Disability Rights PA, AAPD.com, Here's what you can do: give up a couple Starbucks a week, or whatever it is you're buying when you go out, put that money aside, and then you can give it to one of these organizations. I mean, come on, you know, here we are, end of year, everyone, end of year. You may be thinking about, you know, making a donation, and if you don't have A lot. I want to tell you something. $1 makes a difference. $1. Everything makes a difference. So, with that, Maria, website for AAPD. This is Maria and Joyce Bender.

Our website is www.aapd.org.

Www.bazelon.org. Thank you. And how about you, Holly?

Hi, Holly from Bazelon, and our website is www.bazelon.org. And you spell Bazelon B-A-Z-E-L-O-N. And just really quickly on the $1 small donations, Recently, the Bazelon Center has been receiving small donations with letters from people across the country who are doing exactly what you said. Some people are sending cash thanking us for the work we're doing. And I have to say, when I get those donations and I open up the mail and there's a— handwritten note and a $10 bill, it is the most meaningful contribution. And I take pictures of it and I send it to the staff and I send it to the board. So, it really does mean a lot.

Now, that's powerful. It is. It is powerful. And why is it that it is often those that have the least that give the most of what they have? And that is just how it is. Perry, Jude, what is the website?

Joyce, people can find us at disabilityrightspa.org.

That's disabilityrightspa.org. Right here in the great state of Pennsylvania.

Disability Rights of Pennsylvania. All of these organizations I told you I'm on the board of all 3, so I love all 3. And you can set a little bit aside. I tell people, start now for next year, but whatever you can give right now, set it aside, make a donation before the end of the year. Remember, you heard Holly, no matter how small, it all counts. So, um, Maria, What New Year's greeting and message do you have for our listeners?

Hmm. What New Year's message do I have for your listeners? I hope in 2023 we can all get lots of very restorative rest and time together. 2022, we've all worked so hard, and I hope next year, um, again we can get some rest, be restored, and come together and rejoice.

That's wonderful. Agreed. How about you, Holly?

I was thinking of something similar. I was thinking about getting As you say, unzoomed, and if possible, getting together with friends, family, colleagues, and laughing. I was with my family over Thanksgiving, and some of us haven't been together in a long time, and we were laughing and laughing, and it was just wonderful. So, I am hopeful that 2023 continues to be a time when we can be together in person. Thank you. How about you, Perry?

Joyce Bender, we were so fortunate to have a hybrid board and staff retreat recently. And the feedback we got is that everybody wants more of that. So, I joined with Maria and Holly to rest, rejuvenate, and to the extent that we're able to get together but yet keep it accessible, we should be doing that.

Thank you.

Thank you all. Oh, you're so awesome. And I'm wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, blessed New Year. So my message comes from Mary Brocker, who said, "Choose joy." This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you next year.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.

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Because no matter how you do your job, no matter what title you embrace, no matter where your career is taking you, your role is important. Important. Highmark knows that every ability and background can bring a new perspective to the world. We're proud to support the Disability Matters show, its listeners, and our employees of all abilities. Highmark is always looking for people of all abilities to join our team. Visit highmarkhealth.org to join us.

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